pinot noir

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker (Courtesy, United States Department of Labor).

This holiday is our chance, as Americans to truly honor those who have come before us to accomplish so much in developing our country into the greatest nation that the world knows. We at Labor Wines strongly believe that we would not be where we are without the hard work, dedication and commitment of the American worker.

Labor Day is not only a celebration, but a commitment to our citizens; from the past and those in the future.

As a show of thanks, for the entire week and through Labor Day, we would like to offer Half-Price Shipping for all purchases made this week for our Pinot Noir and Riesling.Contact Corey directly at corey@laborwines.com or via phone, 702.466.0987 to place your order today.

Everything takes Labor to accomplish. Without Labor, there would be no end result and no satisfaction. Labor is the driving force throughout history of how to get things done. From Labor is the idea that hard work presents rewards and what better way to embrace that vision – from our hands to yours.

With our favorite holiday, Labor Day, upon us, we wanted to take a moment here at Labor Wines to thank those who have come before us and sacrificed through hard work to build this amazing country. Always observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894.

This idea of a “workingmen’s holiday” showed the importance of workers’ rights, the heartbeat of our country and is now embraced as a national day of rest, and an unofficial end to Summer.

We would like to raise a glass and salute those who have been before us and the American worker who still uses Labor to get the job done.

Everything takes Labor to accomplish. Without Labor, there would be no end result and no satisfaction. Labor is the driving force throughout history of how to get things done. From Labor is the idea that hard work presents rewards and what better way to embrace that vision – from our hands to yours.

What Labor Day means to us. Today is a day we say thank you. Thank you to those who have come before us and thank you to those who have contributed to the building of this wonderful nation.

According to the United States Department of Labor, Labor Day, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

We know and believe that everything in this world comes through hard work and Labor; the Labor of others who have contributed to the greater good and knowing that many would follow in their footsteps. Our passion is Oregon and Pinot Noir, but that is a direct result of the energy and effort that has been put forth by others to allow us to embrace our vision and share the below with you all:

Everything takes Labor to accomplish. Without Labor, there would be no end result and no satisfaction. Labor is the driving force throughout history of how to get things done. From Labor is the idea that hard work presents rewards and what better way to embrace that vision – from our hands to yours.

Additionally, we feel that every day is Labor Day. Every day is a chance to contribute to the greater good and future of our country. Remember, when you are working or have the pleasure to enjoy due to someone else’s work, say thank you. Be considerate. Offer a helping hand. We would like to thank all of those who have let us follow our dreams in Oregon and around the country. As Labor Day weekend is the anniversary of our founding of Labor Wines, it is that much more special to us as well. On an unexpected trip, helping out a dear friend with my ‘labor’ over Labor Day weekend, the original idea and concept for Labor Wines was hatched with the vision of supporting the great state of Oregon and its amazing wines. As we look back on those years gone by to where we are now, it is truly amazing. The best part is that there is so much more positive ahead…

We look forward to hearing your stories about Labor and support that you have received to get you to where you are in business and personal life. Feel free to send them along!

This past week and weekend was another exciting one for us at Labor Wines. I had the opportunity to get into the lab and taste through a tank sample of our 2013 Pinot Noir and really see where that wine is going. As many of you know, we will be releasing our latest wine, the 2012 Pinot Noir soon enough (more on that in a bit), but we are always working on our future and further developing our wines. We’re about a year away from you getting a chance to enjoy the ‘13s, but I promise, they’ll be worth the wait.

The next bit of good news that came about is that we can now ship to 45 states! Many of you have been disappointed when we couldn’t ship to you previously, but we’ve got you taken care of moving forward. The only states we CANNOT ship to are Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi and New Hampshire – the rest of the country we’re ready to send along wine! If you’re ready to place your order let me know directly and I can get you all set up.

And to pair with the above, we’d like to introduce to you the 2012 Labor Wines Pinot Noir, ready for its release! Coming from what has been labeled the ‘Vintage of the Decade’, this wine was sourced predominantly from the Yamhill Carlton sub-AVA, spending 8 months in French Oak lending a touch of cigar box and slight smokiness. There are delicious flavors of Marion berries, Currants, Strawberries and Bing Cherries, along with notes of Crushed Violets and Ginger.

Overall, the 2012 harvest was outstanding! The vintage had warmer than average temperatures and an extremely dry Summer and Fall, resulting in ripe and ready wines that are bursting out of the bottle and ready for your glass to enjoy! Being that it was a warm year, we recommend putting a slight chill on the wine and letting it come up to your desired temperature.

The 2012 Pinot Noir is available for $25.00 a bottle or $300.00 a case, plus shipping. Please feel free to contact me directly to place your order or feel free to go online to www.LaborWines.com.

Finally and possibly the most special part of the weekend was seeing one of my dearest friends, a fantastic person and a true talent in the Oregon wine community, Alex Sokol Blosser of Sokol Blosser Winery get married over the weekend to his fiancée, Ginny. The wedding was held at the family winery on Saturday afternoon and evening, resulting in a very special affair. I was honored to be a part of it and thrilled to see the union of Alex & Ginny, two people who are madly in love.

Last week I had the opportunity to return to one of my favorite cities in our country, San Francisco, for a quick trip to host a tasting with our latest releases. I headed back to The Hidden Vine, where we had held a tasting a few years back as they are one of our best supporters and great friends.

The Hidden Vine is fantastic wine bar on Merchant Street in the shadow of the TransAmerica building in Downtown San Francisco that is a great fan of small production wines and sharing their discoveries with their guests. Also, one of its coolest features is that it has an outdoor bocce court that runs alongside the venue. I mean, how many places do you know where you can sip on a delicious glass of wine while tossing bocce balls?

That night I was able to share with our guests our 2011 Pinot Noir and the 2012 Riesling to taste. The group was extremely appreciative of the wines, with a few of our friends of Labor being there to support as well as many new people we had a chance to meet.

After the tasting, I headed over to see another close friend of ours, Nick Floulis of Pushback Wines, who had recently opened the Chubby Noodle in the Marina neighborhood. ‘The Noodle’ is a modern Asian restaurant that serves late, basically throws a party every night and has quickly become a go-to spot in the area with its neighbors. To quote @Zagat SF “If a Japanese Izakaya and Chinese dim sum met a family-style party with California wines and hip-hop thrown in for good measure, it might look like @ChubbyNoodleSF. Not too shabby, right? The Noodle is also a supporter of Labor Wines, currently carrying our 2011 Pinot Noir which has been a big hit so far with their guests.

Nick was the consummate host, as always, guiding me through the menu and making sure my wine glass was always full. Highlight of my meal was definitely the Salt & Pepper Shrimp (gluten-free, by the way); I’m craving it now actually!

As I mentioned, it was a quick trip supporting our wines, but I look forward to heading back to the city by the Bay soon enough, hopefully to share more of our Oregon grape juice!

Don’t forget, when you are enjoying a bottle of our wine, make sure to take a picture and share it with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.

Labor Wines is coming back to San Francisco! I will be heading to the Bay, next Thursday, August 7th hosting a tasting with our good friends at The Hidden Vine, 408 Merchant Street. They are fantastic supporters of ours and I will be coming back to share our 2011 Pinot Noir and our 2012 Riesling, from 5:30pm until 7:30pm, hanging out after that as well.

The tasting is complimentary for each of you, however, if you’d like to purchase a glass of our Pinot Noir and some snacks, there will be a full menu available for your enjoyment. Also, for those of you who have never been to The Hidden Vine, it’s a fantastic spot with a damn cool feature – its own Bocce Court! So, be ready to taste some Oregon deliciousness and join us for a fun evening in the city. Please feel free to share with friends who might enjoy joining us that night!

I look forward to seeing each of you then, if you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me directly at Corey@LaborWines.com or 702.466.0987. And remember, if you have a story, pictures enjoying Labor or would like to place an order, feel free and share with us on Facebook or via Twitter.

Last week we had a chance to visit one of our favorite cities, Denver, to spend some quality time with our distributor and dine at a few restaurants who are great supporters of Labor Wines.

One of the first restaurants in Colorado ever to pour Labor was Coohill’s, located in LoDo in Downtown Denver. They have been a fantastic supporter ever since, so we decided to get a group together from our Colorado Distributor, Trinity Fine Wines and enjoy some early evening appetizers while tasting our wines. This is a great group that truly supports our vision and is dedicated to sharing our wine throughout the state. We started by pouring our 2012 Riesling, with its notes of petrol, gravenstein apple and Meyer lemon, it was a perfect foil for the charcuterie, cerignola olives and toasted nuts.

Moving on to our Pinot Noir, we did a side by side tasting with our 2010 and 2011 wines – showcasing the differences in each vintage while still keeping with our house style. The 2010 was a very cool vintage with reduced yields, resulting in a more Burgundian style wine and the 2011 is more fruit forward and expressive right out of the bottle. The group was split on which vintage was their favorite, but all agreed they could taste the quality and better than expected juice for the price; a fantastic value overall.

Later in the trip, we were able to go by the newest supporter of Labor, dining at Work & Class in the fast emerging Larimer Warehouse District neighborhood, located on Larimer & 25th between Downtown and Five Points. This is a relatively new restaurant that is quite small, but dedicated to doing everything from scratch and in keeping with the farm to table theme that has taken hold amongst Denver restaurants. I must tell you, we had a FANTASTIC experience overall, sitting at the Kitchen Bar watching the cooks create meals in front of us resulting in delicious flavors and a wonderful evening. We paired a variety of their dishes with our 2012 Riesling, which was a great pairing for everything from their Red Chile Braised Pork to their Jerk Rotisserie Chicken to their Green Chile Mac n’ Cheese.

Denver has always had a special place with us and this trip furthered that feeling. Looking forward to being back at 5,280 soon enough and sharing more Labor Wines with them!

And remember, if you have a story, pictures enjoying Labor or would like to place an order, feel free and share with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.

This past week we had the chance to experience some special times in the Willamette Valley, labeling our 2012 Pinot Noir Magnums and visiting friends throughout the area. The 2012 vintage in Oregon is being hailed as the ‘vintage of the decade’ with storybook conditions for bud break and harvest, with ripe and healthy fruit. I strongly recommend purchasing all of the 2012 that you can find; some to enjoy now and more to lay down, as it will get better with age.

On Monday evening we enjoyed some fantastic wine country hospitality courtesy of my dear friend Alex Sokol Blosser, Co-President/Winemaker of his family’s winery, Sokol Blosser. We enjoyed a selection of local cheeses and fresh vegetables from the garden along with their first release of Evolution Sparkling wine, a delicious choice for a gorgeous Oregon Summer early evening. Sitting on the back patio, amidst the Pinot Noir vines and great company, it was a perfect night.

Tuesday morning, we ran by my favorite place to start the morning in McMinnville, Community Plate, operated and owned by Scott and Courtney Cunningham. This is truly a ‘power couple’ in the Valley, who both have hearts of gold and believe in where they live. I love having a chance to see these two friends, and of course enjoying my morning Hazelnut Milk Latte, a CP specialty!

Heading deeper into the country side, we made our way over to Elk Cove Vineyards, the family winery that happens to make our delicious wines. Catching up with various members of the ECV team, who are all fantastic people, we spent some quality time with Heather Perkin, Associate Winemaker, who was good to taste us through some of the 2012 Single Vineyard wines and the 2013’s in tank, resting.

After getting some wine in our glasses, we began the task of hand-labeling our 2012 Magnums. Let me tell you, this is not an easy process; lining up the labels on the bottle, making sure there are no bubbles, keeping the label straight and making sure everything looks good before peeling off the backing. It took some time, but was well worth it seeing those 36 (only!) magnums lined up, ready to find new homes.

Coming back from our accomplished task, we stopped in Carlton and had a chance to enjoy lunch for the first time at The Horse Radish. I was EXTREMELY pleasantly surprised by the quality of food, service and overall experience. I had a locally raised, shaved ham sandwich on gluten-free bread with fig jam which was delicious, paired with a bottle of 2012 Penner-Ash Rubeo, a blend of Pinot Noir & Syrah.

Ending the day of tasting, we stopped in to see some friends over at Stoller Family Estate before they closed, tasting a variety of their valley offerings, including back vintages. Funny enough, I think my highlight was actually their 2013 Rose of Pinot Noir, which was bright, lightly acidic, vibrant and full of flavor.

On Wednesday we ventured to see an old friend of mine, Margaret Barry, Director of Consumer Sales at Raptor Ridge. Let me say, if you have never been to Raptor Ridge, GO NOW! It is a gorgeous tasting room set atop the Chehalem Mountain range, with vines that cover the hillside and fantastic views over the valley. We had a chance to taste through their line up and have some great conversation over cheeses and meats on their tasting room patio, what a great way to spend a morning in the wine country! And, before we left, Margaret encouraged us to head out to the winery entrance and pick some Rainier Cherries off their trees, since they had so many. I’ve never picked cherries before, but being at a vineyard, grabbing this fresh stone fruit and tasting how ripe and delicious it was, was truly special.

Bouncing around the valley some more, we visited Lee Medina of Sokol Blosser Winery, popping into their beautiful tasting room for a hello and quick taste of their new wines, before grabbing a late lunch at the Red Hills Market in Dundee, the Willamette’s baby-brother version of Oakville Grocer in Napa. This is a great place for a cup of Stumptown coffee, quick lunch stop or centrally located meeting point, as most of the valley runs through there during the day at some point.

We then headed over to Bergstrom Winery, to taste their latest releases and visit with Erik, their Tasting Room manager. I personally believe that Josh Bergstrom, winemaker and owner, is one of the most talented winemakers in the valley and I have always enjoyed his wines. The star of the show was completely unexpected, their 2012 Sigrid Chardonnay. I truly felt like I was drinking a White Burgundy; it had the polish, austerity, flavor, oak profile, fruit, depth and was just a joy to drink. Erik and his team’s hospitality was fantastic in an idyllic setting, really special to enjoy.

Wrapping up the collection of days, we had our traditional dinner at Nick’s Italian Café in Downtown McMinnville. Nick’s has been feeding the valley’s finest since 1977 and is THE winemaker’s hangout to share stories, swap bottles of wine and just to catch up with friends. It has always been a casual spot to grab a bowl of pasta or pizza, but the menu has really been modernized with even more local produce and farm raised animals, courtesy of Nick’s son in law, Erik. I love visiting this spot as it reminds me of the vast resources of the Willamette Valley and how you can truly embrace them.

It was another fantastic collection of experiences in the valley with an amazing group of people who are embracing the culture of hospitality and sharing their part of the world with visitors. I’m glad that in a small way, we are a part of that fabric and am thrilled to be able to show others what Oregon is all about. And remember, if you have a story, pictures enjoying Labor or would like to place an order, feel free and share with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.

Hello friends of Labor Wines!Hope that each and every one of you are enjoying some gorgeous Spring time weather and getting ready for the official start of Summer.It’s been a busy time for us at Labor Wines, with the changing seasons, travels, end of school and a new wine!

Yes ladies & gentlemen, the time has come for the release of our 2012 Pinot Noir.The 2012 harvest was outstanding!The vintage had warmer than average temperatures and an extremely dry Summer and Fall, resulting in ripe and ready wines that are bursting out of the bottle and ready for your glass to enjoy!Our wine is growing each and every day, but at last tasting had delicious flavors of Marionberries, Currants, Blackberries, Strawberries, Crushed Violets and touch of Ginger.Being that it was a warm year, we recommend putting a slight chill on the Pinot Noir and letting it come up to your desired temperature.

We will be releasing this wine in the coming weeks, so please let me know if I can put a case on hold for you and get it shipped out before the Summer Heat Wave!Looking forward to speaking with each and every one of you soon.

Hope that Summer has been treating you well and you’ve been enjoying some time with friends and family. There are only a few weeks left of this beautiful season (disappointing, I know), but football season is fast approaching and along with the 2013 harvest on our end. It’s an exciting time for us at Labor Wines, as we’re also going to be bottling our 2012 Pinot Noir in a few weeks (early, I know, but that’s what happens when you have a warm vintage in Oregon), before we let it sleep in the bottle until next April/May for you to enjoy in 2014.

Another small, but important piece of information for Labor is that we are now accepting credit cards! For now we are going to be taking Visa and Mastercard.

Many of you have purchased wine from us previously, but I’m not sure if you’ve had our two more recent releases, the 2011 Pinot Noir and the 2012 Riesling. I would love to have you all taste out these wines and share them with you friends. Let me know if I can arrange shipping and set you up with some new bottles.

And remember, if you have a story or pictures enjoying Labor, feel free and share with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.